Meeting with the NATO Secretary General

On January 23, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is in Brussels on a working visit, met with Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, the Press Office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia briefed the NATO Secretary General on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, as well as the consequences of the ongoing policy of ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Azerbaijani authorities. In this context, the importance of the international community’s clear actions towards ending the inhumane blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and bringing the Azerbaijani side back to the negotiating table was emphasized," the report added.

Ararat Mirzoyan briefed Jens Stoltenberg on current developments in the normalization process of Armenia-Turkey relations.

During the meeting, the sides commended the level of Armenia-NATO political dialogue and touched upon the current cooperation programs and prospects.

Meeting with the Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs

On the same day, Ararat Mirzoyan met with David McAllister, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman.

"Ararat Mirzoyan briefed his interlocutor on the consequences of Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin corridor. It was underscored that Azerbaijan pursues a policy of subjecting the 120,000 Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing," the information added.

"Minister Mirzoyan stressed the need to increase pressure on Azerbaijan by the international community to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the importance of the principled positions reflected in the urgent resolution on the Humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the annual 2022 report on "Implementation of the common foreign and security policy," adopted by the Plenary Session of the European Parliament on January 18-19 as they objectively reflect the situation in the region," the report stated.

Ararat Mirzoyan and David McAllister touched upon the issues of the Armenia-EU partnership agenda and the prospects for its expansion. The work of the EU monitoring mission, which was completed on December 19, was also highly appreciated.

Meeting with the Foreign Minister of Belgium

On January 23, the Foreign Minister of Armenia met with Hadja Lahbib, the Foreign Minister of Belgium.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Hadja Lahbib highlighted the importance of the EU Council's decision to deploy a civilian monitoring mission in Armenia, adopted on the same day.

Minister Mirzoyan briefed his colleague on current developments in the normalization process of Armenia-Turkey relations.

The sides discussed the possibilities of deepening and expanding the Armenian-Belgian bilateral cooperation. The expansion of the volume of trade turnover and the activation of business contacts were emphasized.